


Gus's Enchanting Grom Fright

by Everyoneisheretoday5



Category: The Owl House (Cartoon)
Genre: Dude has moral intregrity, F/F, Gus discovers public speaking in some cases may not be for him, Gus has no idea what's going on someone help him, Gus's POV, Gus: we’re enemies!!, It's grom!!! but with a twist!, M/M, Pining, Repressed Feelings, Take that one lumity scene but make it gustholomule, Willow is a gay mess, because the blight parents make an appearnance in the third chapter, general excitement over everything, implied/reference child abuse, looking at you Gus, matt: ???, multichaptered fic can you belive it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-15
Updated: 2020-10-25
Packaged: 2021-03-08 17:34:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,704
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27020572
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Everyoneisheretoday5/pseuds/Everyoneisheretoday5
Summary: Grom season has rolled around! And Gus is determined to make the best of it, along with his friends.Featuring: A shape-shifting demon, a human who's intent on becoming a witch, a flustered girl who has an affinity for plants, a scared student with too much pressure on her shoulders, and Gus Porter, the illusionist prodigy himself!(And just maybe...the arrogant president of the Human Appreciation Society.)
Relationships: Luz Noceda/Willow Park, Mattholomule/Gus Porter
Comments: 16
Kudos: 40





	1. Chapter 1

Hustle and bustle surrounded Hexside as Gus walked up the large stone steps and up the double doors. Assorted witches ran around, yelling, gossiping, putting up decoration and balloons... the air was filled with giddy teenage excitement. 

(Well discounting Gus himself, since he was only 12, but he'd get there!) 

Most people around this time of year wanted to ask someone out, to have someone by their side as they watched the giant shape-shifting fear monster under the school get defeated by one of their classmates. It was always a thrill, wondering _will Grom finally escape? Will the town be forced to live out their darkest fears? Are we all gonna die?_

_I_ t was the Boiling Isles, everyone was used to it. 

But Gus didn't have _time_ for those foolish, lovesick- whatever you call it! Gus pushed down the incredibly annoying thoughts of the H.A.S club president that appeared in his head with no warning. He had a job to do, and that was to be an announcer. He could practically do his lines right here!

_"And there they go! What a mighty slash- will it be enough to dispel the monster?- Well would you look at that, it's fear time! Let's see what Grom has in store for our poor classmate!"_

_Gus waved towards the area with his free hand, bringing everyone's attention to the dark blob of fear quickly shifting into something recognizable. The stage light was bright, the room was dark and the excitement was buzzing and filling his voice-_

He didn't even realize that he had closed his eyes, so caught up in his imaginary performance that he bumped straight into Willow, sending the small boy backward. 

A familiar hand was offered to help him up, and he took it, standing in front of his best friend of two years. 

Willow smiled warmly as she always did, although Gus could tell that something was off. She held a light green note in one hand, and by the way her arms refused to settle in one position, it was a miracle the small piece of paper hadn't been completely crinkled. Gus stared at the note suspiciously for a couple of seconds before going to make eye contact with his friend. 

"Good morning!" he chirped cheerfully. He pointed to the note, acting on his insatiable curiosity. "What's that note for?" 

Willow's ears immediately fell down, looking at a space somewhere behind Gus, and she blushed, looking over to the side nervously and hiding the slip of paper behind her back. "What note? I haven't- I haven't seen any note!" 

"But I literally just-"

"Hey guys!" 

Luz walked up to the two witches, looking around the large corridor with amazement. Gus almost expected her to hug them as she usually did, but she was too enraptured with her surroundings for the moment. "Woah- so what's the special occasion? Everyone seems so giddy, and there are decorations and everything!" she exclaimed. Her eyes widened with curious excitement. "Are those balloons made out of _abominations?-"_

Gus quickly glanced from Luz to Willow and to Luz again. It was obvious that the note had _something_ to do with the human girl, judging by the fact that Willow seemed to be struggling to put it somewhere while glancing nervously at Luz. 

_She does realize that the Hexside uniforms have pockets right? We use them every day. Maybe hers got magicked away somehow?..._

While Luz was rambling about how the streamers seemed like they might have tiny eyes all over them, Gus motioned to Willow, gesturing for her to put the note into his hand so he could hide it. Willow quickly shook her head, a look of horror on her face, and Gus mimicked a spell, meaning that he'd make it invisible to Luz with an illusion. Willow shook her head _again,_ and Gus finally pointed to the pockets in the skirt of the uniform they all happened to be wearing as a last resort. Willow quickly slipped the note into one of hers, embarrassed. All of this took place in about 15 seconds. 

_How- how did she not remember that we have pockets?! Also, what in the **world** is going on with her and Luz?! _

_O_ nce Luz stopped gushing over all of the decorations (Gus did have to admit- they were _very_ clever) he decided to explain. He physically had to restrain himself from shooting a suspicious look at Willow though. Her behavior was _seriously_ off.

"We're preparing for Grom season!" Gus exclaimed loudly, answering Luz's earlier question. Luz turned her attention to him in interest. "There's a monster under the school that'll make the town live out their worst fear if it gets loose, so Principal Bump holds a party while a student fights it. And _I_ am going to be the announcer!' he said proudly. 

"That's AWESOME!" Luz raised her hands up to her chest and grinned. "Terrifying, but awesome. As expected of the Boiling Isles. Also it kind of sounds like Prom...What kind of party is it?" 

"Well, there's food and refreshments obviously, and people sometimes ask people out for it..." 

As if on cue, a boy with large ears and hair covering his eyes held up a beating heart on a stretcher, exclaiming, "Skara! Will you go to Grom with me?" 

The girl in question squealed happily and hugged the boy. "Of course I will!!-or whatever!" 

Applause filled the hallway and Gus turned his attention back to Luz, watching how Willow fidgeted with the hem of her skirt as she watched them. 

"There's dancing, music, and then there's a period where we all watch the student defeat Grom," Gus continued, imitating the swing of a sword with one hand. "There's never been a year where the year's Grom monarch didn't defeat Grom, but the tension is always there. And it's up to the announcer to make it exciting, which is where I come in!" 

"Heck yeah!" Luz pumped her fist into the air. "You're gonna be an awesome announcer!" Gus smiled at the compliment, aware that although he hyped himself up, this was still his first year doing this. "Willow, what're you planning on doing? You got anyone you wanna ask out?~" 

Luz's voice was singsongy, and she raised one of her eyebrows. It wasn't uncommon for Luz to like romantic stuff given that she gushed about Azura and Hecate on a weekly basis. (Not to mention that she had also asked Gus about Mattholomule... several times.) Luz asking Willow if she had anyone she wanted to ask out should have resulted in a usual, calm reaction. Not today though apparently. 

Willow's eyes went comically wide, and her face flushed pink as she struggled to get her answer out, fumbling over her words. her ears stood straight up, and even those had a hint of pink on them. 

"No- I mean yes! Sort of- I don't know-" 

Luz didn't seem to be affected by Willow's inability to speak coherent sentences and just grinned good-naturedly. Gus meanwhile, was almost at the end of his patience. Why was Willow acting so _weird?_

_WHAT IS GOING ON-_ he screamed inside of his head, looking at Willow incredulously. 

"Well whoever they are, I hope they're a good match! You're awesome, you deserve an awesome date!" 

Gus glanced between Willow and Luz quickly, brows furrowed in confusion. Whatever tension was in the air was so palpable you could hit it with a mace. And strangely enough, _he had no clue what it was._ Maybe he wasn't used to the topic of romantic interests?...

"GUS AND I HAVE TO GO SOMEWHERE-" Willow exclaimed, movements stiff and face still pink. She grabbed Gus's shoulder and practically began dragging him down the hallway, leaving behind a slightly bewildered Luz. Willow waved frantically at the other girl and continued her speedwalk down the hallway. "SEE YOU LATER LUZ-" 

She pulled Gus into a nearby corridor, where Luz couldn't see them. Gus stared up at her, questions screaming in his mind. 

"Okay, what the actual _heck_ was that-" he started, before Willow cut him off, placing both hands on his shoulders and gripping onto him tightly. 

"Gus, _I want to ask Luz out to Grom,"_ she whisper-shouted, voice full of desperation and worry. " _And I have **no idea**_ _how to do it."_

_"_ You WHAT-" Gus yelled, the implications of everything he had seen in the last 5 minutes slamming into him like a truck. And every way Willow acted weird around Luz and- 

Willow put a finger to her lips, shushing him loudly as she looked around for signs of Luz. She turned her attention back to Gus, and sighed. 

"How long have you had a crush on her for?!" Gus exclaimed, gesturing widely. "And how in all the Titan did I not know about this earlier?!" 

"Since the first day I met her..." Willow admitted, hugging herself and looking over to the side. "I'm not sure what it was..." 

Everything made so much _sense_ now 

The way that Willow was willing to help Luz with almost anything, the way she let her cling to her arm when they walked through the hallways together or out of school, the countless times that Gus had caught Willow absentmindedly staring at her in class... _that_ was the reason for her odd behavior! 

He had always wondered about that... 

(Something nagged in the back of his mind, some of the actions he had previously described feeling awfully familiar, but he pushed the thought aside and buried it under 10 layers of _Willow wants to ask Luz out_ and turned his attention back to his friend.) 

"Well, that explains a lot..." he murmured. "So... are you saying you want help?" 

" _Yes. "_

Before Gus could even begin to think of a plan, the intercom across the hall crackled to life, signaling the announcement of this year's Grom monarch. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Time to announce a Grom monarch... and prepare for the performance.

The atmosphere in the room changed immediately. Everyone became quiet, some murmuring among themselves about who would be chosen. Gus hoped in the back of his mind that he wouldn't be chosen, even though he was the announcer. In Hexside, anything could happen.

Willow took the note out of her pocket and read it nervously, while Bump coughed over the loudspeaker.

"GOOOOOOD MORNING HEXSIDE! It's Grom season, and as all of you demons, ghouls and witches know, that means it's time to choose a Grom monarch!! Can I get a drumroll pleaseeeee?"

The air tingled with excitement and anticipation as students started up a clattering of various noises, most drumming thier hands on thier thighs, and some slamming doors at what seemed a supernatural speed.

"THIS YEAR'S GROM MONARCH ISSSSSS-"

A pause.

"AMITY BLIGHT!!"

Gus gasped, as did Willow and many others in the hallway. Gus hadn't talked with Amity that much personally, but she knew she was top student and had a history with Willow. It made complete sense that the top student was Grom Queen, but even so, every head turned in the direction of the green-haired girl.

Amity was across the hallway, and she stood alone, staring up at the loudspeaker with the most horrified face Gus had ever seen. People gossiped loudly, and Gus saw Luz run to go support Amity, ignoring the chaos of the crowd around her.

Amity only glanced fearfully in Luz's direction, and then ran away as fast as she could, leaving the other girl behind in the dust.

"Oh no..." Willow murmured from behind Gus, face etched with concern. "Whatever her worst fear is, it must be horrible..."

Gus nodded in agreement solemnly, and waved as Luz ran over to them, obviously worried. Willow casually slipped her note back into her pocket, fumbling as she did so.

"Is she going to be okay?" Luz asked, flapping her hands in nervousness. "She really didn't look good..."

"She should be," Willow assured her, voice calm like usual, although her facial expression gave away her emotions. "People react like that every year I think... and no student has ever failed to defeat Grom, so I think she's gonna be alright. You just gotta give her time."

Willow put a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder and Luz seemed to lean into it. Gus joined in, resting his head on Willow's shoulder and closing his eyes. They stayed there for a couple seconds. It might have looked weird to people passing by, but this was a normal thing for the three of them, taking solace in eachother's company.

 _Although really, Amity is probably the one who needs comfort,_ Gus's mind interrupted rudely. _Except we have no idea where she is_.

If it weren't for the fact that they were in a hallway and their friend was going to face a giant fear monster alone, they probably would have sat on the floor and stayed like that instead.

"...Should we go look for her?" Luz asked, Willow's hand sliding off her shoulder as she stepped away from them and looked in the direction that Amity had gone. "I know you said to give her time but..."

Amity was nowhere to be seen.

"Hello Hexsidians!!! Welcome to the.... uhm... 234th year of Grom!! Are you ready?!... ugh that's not right either, how am I supposed to prepare for this?!"

Gus wrapped his arms around himself as he continued walking, pacing in lopsided circles. He had no idea where he was going. He was in the woods, and his original intent was to go to the Owl House (which was a useless decision... why did he have to go to the Owl House exactly?) but now he was just lost.

 _Well, actually I've been through this part of the forest before... I think_.

It was dark out, shadows creeping and covering every rock and plant. Gus could just barely make out the path from which he had come from. Fear rose up in his stomach, and he began to talk to himself again, trying to convince himself that it would scare off whatever monsters that were determined to eat him.

"I'll just wing it!! I'm Gus Porter, I can do anything if I put my mind to it, that's how I ended up in the same classes with Luz and Willow. And improvising has always worked before! I'm sure of it, it'll be just fine-"

A large SNAP came from behind him, and Gus whirled around and sent a spell off in it's direction immediately.

Gus heard a crash, then a thump, and then a strained groan, sounding very... witch-like.

"Ugh... what the hell?!"

He recognized that voice.

"Oh Titan, I'm so sorry!" Gus scrambled to create a light spell and held it above his head as he pushed through the undergrowth. There, covered in mud from head-to-toe, and lying flat on his back, was Mattholomule. His esteemed rival. "Are you okay?"

"It depends. What the heck did you shoot at me?" Mattholomule grumbled, raising a hand up to try and get up, only to have mud drip onto his face. "At least you have good reflexes..."

Gus extended a hand, and Mattholomule took it, pulling himself up at the same time that Gus did, which resulted in their faces being inches apart.

A second passed.

Gus's eyes widened and leaped back, face burning while thoughts of _TOO CLOSE TOO CLOSE, WHAT WAS THAT-,_ and _AHHHHHHH_ swirled around his head like a tornado. He slipped on the mud in the bog beneath their feet and nearly screamed as the liquid got all over his new suit. The thought of a quick cleaning spell comforted his worries for the time being.

Mattholomule for once in his life seemed to have trouble focusing on an expression. His face went from surprised, to smug, to frowning, to a vaguely uncomfortable look and back again. It was quite out of character.

He shook his head and extended another hand to Gus, this time letting Gus support most of his weight so that they wouldn't come face-to-face again.

"So... pretend that never happened... " he trailed off, looking slightly embarrassed with his ears tipped down, and then continued. "what're you doing out here? Aren't you supposed to be at the school or something?"

"I'm practicing obviously!" Gus crossed his arms over his chest and tried to look prideful. "I'm the announcer, so it's a big deal..."

"Practicing. In the middle of the forest."

"Yes!! Talking to myself, imagining my audience!"

"Pffft," Mattholomule giggled, smirking. "Would have expected nothing else, you weirdo."

There wasn't any malice behind his words. (had Mattholomule made fun of him genuinely lately? Gus couldn't remember. Strange...) The light orb highlighted the twinkle in his eyes.

_What a weird thing to notice..._

Gus shook his head violently, trying to clear his mind of whatever feelings came up around Mattholomule. It was incredibly frustrating.

Mattholomule raised an eyebrow in confusion. "You good?"

"I'm fine!" Gus chirped. "Just unnecessary feelings. Getting rid of unnecessary feelings. Because they're unnecessary and I have a job to do and I can't focus on them or I'm going to have some huge realization-"

_Why the HECK did I say that aloud!! Act casual, act causal, act casual- I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE HELL THEY MEANT- I MEAN I DID BUT NO I DIDN'T-_

"LETS JUST GO TO THE SCHOOL RIVAL! ENEMY! PERSON I CAN'T STAND!-"

Gus awkwardly marched away, not even bothering to do the cleaning spell that was so important to him 2 minutes ago. Mattholomule stared after him for a couple seconds, brows furrowed with confusion.

_He... still considers me an enemy?_

_...weird._

Plastering his usual frown onto his face, Mattholomule followed Gus in the direction of what he hoped was the school.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well would you look at that! TWO blushing disasters!


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The battle against Grom has finally begun. Will Amity be able to hold her ground? 
> 
> (TW for implied/referenced child abuse)

Gus held the microphone away from his face and took a deep breath, trying to steady his nerves. 

The spotlight shone on him, making the rest of the auditorium dark, although he could just barely make out Luz and Willow sitting together, and Mattholomule.... staring.... at him from the first few rows on the left side. Trying to ignore the people in the gym, acting as if whatever he did he wouldn't be judged for, Gus stood straight and tall, and looks out towards the front entrance. 

Amity still wasn't there yet. 

_...I wonder what her biggest fear is? What if she doesn't show up?_

Looking towards the cracks in the auditorium that kept Grom sealed, Gus gulped as he realized that Grom was already trying to push its way out, small tendrils of black goop seeping their way through the floor, probably attracted by the 100 or so kids in the room. It didn't appear to be getting very far though, thankfully. 

Gus's heart nearly leaped out of his chest from shock when the door to the auditorium finally opened, and in stepped the green-haired girl, clad in a pink and black dress. A loud clamor of voices arose at Amity's appearance, and Gus smiled confidently, finally bringing the microphone up to his face.

"And here she is, folks!" Gus said excitedly, holding a hand out in the girl's direction to direct the audience's attention. "Amity Blight! Will she be able to defeat Grom?" 

_Of course she can,_ Gus assured himself, looking at the girl who now was grabbing a sword from off the rack. _There should be no question about it._

Principal Bump pressed the button that opened up the floor, earning a loud chorus of cheers from the audience. Gus heard a small voice saying "Blood! Blood! Fear! Violence! YES!!!" somewhere in the stands and looked over to see King, perched on some student's head and shouting at the top of his tiny lungs. Gus suppressed a small laugh. _He certainly is one for the dramatics, isn't he._

_"I_ shall rule you all when the next Grom comes around! I will lead you in the viewing of this merciless battle!" 

Gus tucked that away in the back of his mind. 

As the floor slowly opened, Grom crept closer and closer to Amity. Gus squinted and swore he saw a terrified look on her face, betraying her confident stance and the way she held still as Grom loomed over her. It was quite impressive, really. 

"Grom seems to be planning it's attack! What will it do next?!" 

Grom then shapeshifted, into the first of the many fears each student had to go through to fight it. A rumble could be heard, then the words, ( _They're in Luz's voice!_ Gus noted, all while providing commentary.) "You're a bad person Amity. I don't know why I ever tried to be friends with you, when all you do-" 

Amity let out a strangled battle cry, and rushed forward at Grom, defeating the inky, monstrous form of Luz with ease. Her sword went right through it, and dispelled the goo everywhere, hitting some students in the face. Gus looked over to where Luz and Willow were sitting. 

_It must be hard seeing that one of your friend's worst fears is that you'll leave them..._ Gus remarked, seeing the look on Luz's face. She looked sad... and maybe a little fearful. Willow kept a grounding hand on her shoulder. 

Grom rose up again, despite Amity's attack. 

"Here comes Grom! In for a second attack! What will it shapeshift into this time?" Shouted Gus, not letting whatever nervousness he had about the severity of Amity's fears seep into his voice. Amity spun around on the defensive, attacking any stray goo that tried to come her way, even as a wall of it started forming up in front of her, no matter what way she turned. 

It separated into two, and walked towards her in the form of two vaguely similar human outlines. 

"Mittens! You _really_ think you can defeat Grom when you are so weak, that you can't summon an abomination taller than you without the use of a power glyph? We heard what happened at the convention!" 

"You don't _deserve_ to be top student. You're pathetic. It's no wonder Mom and Dad love _us_ more! How could they ever possibly care about you, when you don't even look like-"

Gus's eyes widened. _It's her siblings. And... wait, what did they say about her parents?-_

"I DON'T CARE!" shouted Amity, rushing forward again and slashing through the two figures in a rage. Although due to the darkness and distance, it was clear from Amity's voice that she was probably _crying. "_ I WORK HARDER THAN YOU TWO EVERY. SINGLE. DAY! I'M NOT LETTING THAT GO TO WASTE!" She continued to slash at the remaining blobs angrily, even as they recollected behind her. "I'M NOT AFRAID OF YOU!" 

Gus bit his lip as he watched her, and heard her yell. The student body was tense, but excited, and Gus could feel it in his bones. 

_She's trying to hide her fear behind her anger,_ Gus noted. He gulped as he realized that Grom was becoming bigger, and bigger, and _bigger_ behind Amity, twisting and curling disturbingly. Gus felt uneasy just looking at it. _But Grom knows better._

_"_ Is this Grom's final form? We'll just have to find out, Hexside!!" 

_Are announcers always supposed to act this fake?_

Grom split into two _again,_ and this time, it's appearance was _much_ less subtle. 

About fifty feet tall, almost reaching to the ceiling of the auditorium, a lady with green hair pulled back in a bob and large, dangerous fangs cackled, her yellow eyes gleaming without pupils. Besides her stood a man with an intimidating goatee and dark brown hair slicked back so much it almost looked _sharp._ He growled, low and deep, and Gus felt his heart plunge way down into his stomach. 

The whole auditorium went silent.

_Everyone_ knew who these people were. _Everyone_ knew them, because they were on the posters for the Emperor's coven, their giant mansion could be seen from miles away, and their influence in the Boiling Isles spread _everywhere,_ from the tiniest stall market to the Emperor's castle itself. 

The Blights. 

Amity's parents. 

Through the gap between the two figures, Amity could see how Amity was trembling. Still, she held onto her sword, this time gripping it in two hands. 

"Amity! Dear, do drop the weapon won't you? Good girls don't have swords in the presence of their parents!" her mother's voice crooned. A hand reached out to take the weapon, and Amity held it above her head and backed away, although she didn't dare swing at the figure. 

"You're... you're not actually my parents," She croaked, voice wavering. "I don't have to listen to you. I just have to defe-" 

"AMITY."

Her father's voice boomed across the auditorium, full of malice and threat. Gus saw a couple of people drop whatever food they had been holding and cling onto the nearest person to them. It almost had the same effect on Gus, but he gripped his microphone extra hard instead, fear slamming into him like a tidal wave. 

_"_ PUT. DOWN. THE WEAPON." 

Amity physically recoiled from her father's voice and the sword fell out of her hand, due to the shaking of her limbs. It clanged against the concrete floor. Grom started morphing again much to Gus's horror, and Amity turned and ran, nearly tripping over her heels as she went. A couple of gasps rang out across the auditorium, and Grom roared and chased after the green-haired girl, slithering out the double doors with frightening speed. 

Gus's eyes widened, and his hands started shaking. _I... I can't let this go on. I have to help her, there's no way she's going to get out of this..._

"Due to my moral obligations, I cannot act as announcer!" He yelled into the mic. Regret filled him for a second as he thought of the lost opportunity for public speaking, but he pushed it aside. "King!" 

"Weh?" The shoulder demon raised his head up from the crowd, and Gus threw the microphone at him the best he could. King caught it in a fumble, batting it around in his paws for a second before finally grabbing onto it, and Gus jumped off of the stage, landing perfectly on his feet and hit the ground running. 

"Wait! Gus!" Mattholomule called out from the stands. Pushing a few people out of the way, he reached the floor and ran after Gus. Luz and Willow looked at each other for a millisecond and then joined him in the chase, Luz pulling out a few glyphs from her pocket. 

Gus followed the inky, gooey substance with determination, even creating an illusion at one point of a staff so that he could fly, and get there quicker. He wasn't aware that Matt, Willow, and Luz were trying to follow him, all with the same goal in mind. 

To help Amity defeat Grom. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Amity runs away from Grom, the squad goes to help her.

Gus, as expected, got there first. 

He flew over Grom, shouting to get it's attention. Amity was scarily close to the edge of a cliff, her knees pulled up to her chest and her hands over her ears, while Grom taunted her, not even bothering to look like Amity's parents anymore. It just stood over her menancingly, imitating her father and mother's voices. Gus's lip curled at the sight. 

"Amity dear! Don't look so weak! It's not expected of the Blight family!~"

"Amity, I expected more from you. This is unacceptable." 

"Stop acting pathectic-"

"HEY!!' Gus yelled, drawing another illusion spell with one hand. "OVER HERE YOU STUPID MONSTER!" He finished the spell and 5 more Gus's with staffs appeared, flying aorund Grom and taunting it. Grom whirled around and roared in it's confusion, swatting and batting at the illusions. 

He flew over to Amity, who was still curled up and shaking. _It's no wonder,_ Gus acknowledged, thinking of ways to get Amity back to the present. _I can't imagine my dad ever treating me that way, and something tells me that Grom didn't just take it's form from a worst-case scenario._

"Amity?" Gus said, trying to keep his voice as calm as possible. "I've distracted Grom. It's okay. It's not coming after you anymore." Ignoring Grom's noises of frustration, he sat down next to her to act as a presence (he knew that she didn't like to be touched) and poofed his staff. Amity's ragged breathing hitched, and she began to take in shaky controlled breaths, one after another, until she eventually was able to take her hands off her ears and look at Gus, eyes rimmed red from crying. 

_She seems like she's done that before..._ Gus noted worriedly. He pushed it to the back of his mind, and reinforced the illusions with another small spell circle. There wasn't time to unpack all of that. 

"Thank-thank you," Amity croaked softly. She wiped her eyes and stood up, flinching at the sight of Grom, but steadying herself with another deep breath. "That's a pretty impressive distraction you got there." She began to draw a spell circle, but Gus waved her off, citing that there was no need. 

"It's okay, I got this," he said, while Amity gave him a skeptical look. "You look hecking exhausted. You should probably rest, facing your worst fear is bound to take a huge toll on someone. And also-" he looked over to where Grom was still fighting off his illusions, and realized that there were people coming through the treeline. "I think I've got backup." 

Amity looked around for a second, before deciding to stay determinedly. "I'm Grom Queen, and it's kind of my job to do this, so I gotta contribute in some way! Also, don't underestimate me. I bounce back quickly."

"Well okay! So what do-" 

Gus had his back turned to Grom. Just as Matt, Willow and Luz were coming out of the woods, Grom figured out who the real Gus was, and grabbed him in the middle of his sentence, roaring triumphantly.

" _GUS!"_ Amity yelled, as he was suddenly lifted high up into the air. 

Gus panicked and struggled uselessly against Grom's grip, feeling all sorts of uncomfortable as its cold slimy tendrils wrapped its way around his body. All the warmth from his suit was disappearing, and he couldn't touch the ground, and he needed to _escape,_ he needed to _fight,_ he needed to-

Suddenly his mind was overblown with everything he wished wouldn't happen, trapping him in a simulation of sorts that felt horribly real. He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth, squirming and thrashing and trying his best to fight off Grom but his legs and his arms and everything up to his neck was trapped in slime and goo and he was trapped-

_Willow, laughing as she towered above him, after a group of the older boys had teased him once again. "What's the point of hanging out with you? You're just some nobody! No one cares about your stupid illusions, Gus!"_

_His dad, looking sad and angry and disappointed, holding Gus's report card in his hand. "You... failed? You're going to have to stay back... after how hard you've worked... I can't believe you Agustus. I thought you were better than this."_

_Luz, walking away from him with a sneer on her face. "Stop. No human could ever be worthy of being your friend."_

_Matt, pushing him to the ground, as the HAS members crowd around him. "You thought you were an expert? You thought I ever felt anything for you besides hate? You're **wrong.** You always are. I thought you would have learned that by now, **Agustus."**_

_Being kicked out of school._

_His powers dwindling._

_Forgetting everything he knows._

_Repeating over and over and over and over and over-_

"LET GO OF HIM!" 

With a loud _smack,_ Gus was sent flying, hardly aware of what was up or down as he tumbled through the air, everything Grom had forced out of his head leaving a burning impression in his mind that was extremely hard to detach from. 

_Everyone hates me, I'm powerless, I can't do anything-_ echoed in his head, making him feel like he was being tugged in a million different directions at once somehow. _Willow hates me. Luz hates me. Matt hates me. And it's all my fault, it's all my fault, it's all my fault-_

"No no no no no no- I got him! I got him! You guys fight, I'm going to catch him-" 

Gus didn't even register Matt's voice as his own until he felt himself crash into something or someone, and cool grass brush his cheek. His breathing rate picked up exponentially, and he squeezed his eyes shut even tighter, not knowing what was real and what wasn't. It could just be another one of Grom's hallucinations. 

"Gus!" A warm hand touched what he thought might have been his shoulder. "Gus, hey, it's me. Breathe. You're okay. Open your eyes." 

Gus did, fearing what he'd find, and all he saw was Mattholomule, with his warm brown eyes, and his face etched with concern. Mattholomule, who he'd accidentally attacked in the woods earlier. Mattholomule, who he didn't know had followed... what if he wasn't real?? What if-

_But he has to be,_ Gus tried to convince himself, tears pricking at the corners of his eyes as another par of his head screamed that it was an illusion to let him down again. _He's right there._ _He's right here,_ he corrected himself. There was a hand on his shoulder. That was Matt's. It made sense. What else could it be?

Gus tried to get ahold of his breathing. _Copy what Amity did. Deep breaths._ He closed his eyes. 

_I_ n. 

Out. 

In. 

Out. 

He was okay. 

_I'm okay. It's real._

"Yeah, you got it, it's okay," Matt whispered, voice soft. Gus wasn't sure if he'd had ever heard Matt talk like that before, all warm and comforting. "Here." 

He felt himself being gently pulled up, and he opened his eyes again and supported himself. His stomach felt weird and twisty, but he paid it no mind. It'd go away eventually. Matt's hands were on both of his upper arms, and he looked at Gus with a worried expression. _His hair is sticking out all over the place. ...Huh._

"Welp that was traumatizing...Thank you," Gus said quietly, his voice a little shaky. "How did you-"

"I slapped Grom." Matt admitted. 

"What."

"I slapped Grom. Like this." 

Matt took a hand off of Gus's arm and enlarged it to about 30 times its regular size. It looked like a balloon. "Wha-pow. Grom is slapped. Although I took you along with it, whoops.' 

A giggle rose up from inside Gus's throat. He hadn't seen it, only felt it, but the imagery was funny enough. And also, he had slapped Grom for _him?_ That was... he wasn't sure what to call it, but a warm feeling blossomed in his chest at the thought anyways. "Hahaha... _wait,"_ a realization struck him _,_ andhe twisted around, to see Grom recollecting once _again._ It was certainly persistent. Dread filled him as he saw Willow and Luz rush towards it traveling on one of Amity's abominations, about 20 feet tall. "DON'T LET GROM GRAB YOU!-" he yelled desperately. "IT'LL GET INSIDE YOUR HEAD AND-"

"It's okay Gus! We got this1" Luz yelled, throwing the two boys on the ground a thumbs up. Amity was concentrated on controlling the abomination, hands out and steady in front of her. Luz gave Willow a grin as Grom roared and opened its mouth, and passed Willow a plant glyph. Willow tapped it and quickly threw it inside of Grom's gaping maw, her eyes glowing green. 

Next thing Gus knew, Luz and Willow were being pulled back by way of abomination, and Grom _exploded,_ plant matter ripping through every part of its gooey body and reaching up towards the sky in an elegant display. A huge tree quickly stood in the place of the monster, standing taller than Grom could ever hope to achieve. It had pink, heart-shaped leaves, and a light brown trunk.

It was _beautiful._

"Holy crap, they actually did it!" Matt said excitedly, standing up and running over to the girls. . Amity, Willow, and Luz looked up as tiaras appeared on their heads. Gus was disappointed to see that he himself didn't have one, but it was okay. He pulled himself to his feet and followed Mattholomule, but stopped when he realized that Willow was pulling the note out of her pocket. 

"Matt, wait," he said, catching up with him and putting a hand on his shoulder. _Wait, when did I ever start calling him Matt?..._ "Willow's gotta do something first."

Luz stared at Willow in confusion as Willow put a gentle hand on her shoulder, and Willow looked nervously over to Gus. He gave her a thumbs up. 

"Luz... uhm..." she started, before trailing off. She took her hand off and handed the note to Luz. "Here." 

Luz carefully unfolded it, and her eyes went _wide._ Willow started to back away, regret and worry written all over her face, before Luz broke out into a grin and hugged her, throwing her arms around Willow's neck. 

"Willow, of course I'll go to Grom with you!" Willow stayed still for a second or two, which was all it took for Luz to doubt her intentions. "Wait, you actually do mean it right?... and is it... romantic?" 

"Yes to both of those questions," replied Willow, the tips of her ears red as she softly smiled. Luz took a moment to flap her hands in happiness before hugging Willow again, squealing quietly. Amity started clapping behind them, and then the group was suddenly aware of the school's presence as _everyone,_ led by King, walked out of the forest and started clapping as well, looking up at the Grom Tree in awe. 

"Wow... I wasn't aware that those two actually had crushes on each other..." Matt whispered, as Luz and Willow separated and then stood next to each other sheepishly, holding hands. "Wish I had the confidence to do that." 

"The confidence to ask someone out? You have a crush?" Gus asked, skeptical. He hadn't seen Matt act weirdly around anyone, so it was quite a surprise. For some reason, he secretly hoped it was him. He didn't want to confront the possibilities of that, the atmosphere was making it awfully difficult. "Wasn't expecting that."

"Everybody gets crushes!" Matt insisted, embarrassed. "Well... I think so anyway. Someone told me that they've never had a crush before and don't expect to have any, but that's beside the point. Yes, I do. You happy?" 

Gus nodded silently. Before he could reflect on how well Matt's suit looked, King coughed into his microphone and got everyone's attention. 

"Now we will be heading back to the school for post-Grom festivities! And give a hand to our Grom Queens!..." he glanced at Gus and Matt and shrugged. "And Kings!" 

A chorus of cheers and whoops filled the air as the students came crowding over to them. Gus felt himself being suddenly lifted off the ground, and the next second he was being carried on some student's shoulders, much like King was. Matt was stiff as a board, and was lying down straightfaced as students carried him above their heads. Gus suppressed a laugh. 

Grom hadn't gone the way he thought it would, but that was okay. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One! More! Chapter! Sorry if the writing for this chapter is iffy, I wasn't sure how to write the aftermath of being scared out of your skin by a mind-reading demon, but I hope it was okay.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Celebration after Grom.

Well… Gus figured it had all been worth the while. 

He wandered around the gym alone, observing his friends. Amity had a somewhat-heartfelt reunion with her siblings after she arrived at the gym, the dark-green haired twins running up to her with slightly panicked faces. 

“Mittens, I know we missed everything because we were too busy getting stood up at the back of the school, but I heard from a few sources what went down,” Emira explained, causing Amity to look away shamefully. 

“I know we can be... jerks… a lot of the time, but we’d never do that to you,” Edric continued, “Siblings stand up for each other. We’re not going to egg Mom and Dad on, we know how brutal they are.” 

Gus could see Amity bite back a harsh remark, and cringed, wondering if he should go. He turned around and went in the other direction quietly, letting the awkward conversation fade into the background. 

As an aftereffect of Grom doing pretty much the equivalent of psychologically torturing him by going into his mind and making him live through the worst situations he tended to worry about, flashes of those situations sometimes flashed through his head, still horrifyingly real, but he found that it was going away as the night passed on. 

Trying his best to push the image of Luz leaving him out of his head, he wandered out to the middle of the floor, desperately looking for someone to interact with. He saw a flash of familiar dark brown hair and his heart leaped, only for it to plunge into his stomach as he realized that Matt was dancing with Celeste, the one eyed girl who’s head looked strangely like the human’s version of a moon. 

_ That’s...that’s who he liked. This entire time. And to think I had a chance?  _ Gus nearly facepalmed at the wording of the sentence inside his head, growing even more frustrated with the encounter that was APPARENTLY happening 25 feet away from him, and his own feelings that he had been pushing down for so long. 

_ Feelings?! What feelings?? _

_ Okay, fine.  _

_ There’s feelings.  _

Despite the  _ extremely  _ displeased look on Matt’s face as he stiffly swayed side to side with Celeste, Gus was utterly convinced that he was screwed. Actions say more than grumpy facial expressions. And it was stupid too! He specifically was stupid. He had intended to spend the night making all of his dreams of being up on stage real and alive, and  _ not  _ get preoccupied with feelings for some boy who had hijacked the club that HE HIMSELF had started, but no. Who cared if Grom was intended to be a romantic event? He didn’t have time for that. 

Stuffing his hands into his pockets, Gus went to go sit against the wall, curling his knees up to his chest and laying his head down on his arms.  _ At least Luz and Willow seem to be having fun.  _

The two girls were dancing together, laughing and talking as they swept across the floor. They seemed to be in their own little world, not caring what people thought of them as Luz twirled Willow, but she tripped over Luz’s feet and fell giggling onto her shoulder. It didn’t phase Luz at all, and she giggled right along with Willow. 

Why was he the only one who was left without someone to at least… talk to? He could go to some other people maybe, but… they seemed preoccupied with stuff. Talking to friends, dancing, taking selfies on their scroll. And no one ever noticed him anyways, so why would they want his presence? There was no point to it. 

_ So I admit I have a crush on Matt, and it happens to be now, when I know for sure that he doesn’t like me. Wow Gus, perfect timing. And I have no one to talk to, because i don’t want to disturb other people, and it doesn’t even look like the food is good,  _ he remarked sourly, watching a student at the snacks table spit out whatever the heck had been on the plate he held in his hand before.  _ Guess I should just wait for this to be over. Dad is gonna be worried if i come home early.  _

Closing his eyes, Gus tried to turn out the sound of people’s voices and laughter around him to focus on the music. It almost worked for a second, but then it didn’t, and everything overlapped annoyingly. One of his ears twitched in frustration, and Gus settled for relieving one of his usual daydreams, finding himself in a world where copies of him went around performing tasks flawlessly, and he was allowed to do whatever he liked with no repercussions. SOmeone called on him to fight off a civilian who was intent on spreading propaganda, and an epic fight ensued. 

There was nothing that he couldn’t do, as long as he put his mind to it. 

“Gus?... you okay?” 

A familiar voice snapped Gus out of his trance, and he looked up to see none other than Mattholomule, the same person who, if Gus was being honest with himself for once, he had wanted to talk to this whole time.  _ Where’s Celeste? Did he just come over here to check on me?  _ Gus asked silently, eyes darting around the room, before he returned his gaze to Matt. 

Gus was silent for a moment, spacing out, before he realized he still had to answer Mattholomule’s question somehow. He nodded. Matt gave Gus a sympathetic look, and sat down next to him about a foot away, mirroring Gus’s position with his legs pulled up to his chest. 

“So… uhm…” Mattholomule started awkwardly, fidgeting with the bottom of his pant leg. “You were really brave out there. Just leaping off stage, and going after Grom to help Amity… I couldn’t imagine doing that.” 

Something warm blossomed in Gus’s chest. “But you did,” Gus pointed out, finally lifting his head off of his knees. “You  _ slapped  _ Grom for Titan’s sake, that takes both skill  _ and  _ bravery. And you saved me from… whatever the heck Grom was going to do to me, so kudos to you.”

Mattholomule bit his lip, his brow furrowing in slight frustration. “Yeah… but I did that all for  _ you.  _ If you hadn’t run after Grom. I would have just stayed with the crowd, thinking it was just some exciting change of pace. You actually care about people though, and you care about their well-being, and everything else, no matter how much of a jerk they are… heck, you didn’t even punch me that one time,” he remembered fondly, with a giggle. “Anyways… because of all that… stuff… I started caring for you a lot, specifically, so here we are. I can’t imagine jumping off that stage to help Amity because I’m just.. Not like that. And I’m working on it, because you set a good example, but the point is, I’m not that deserving of being called brave if I wouldn’t have done for anyone. It just happened to be you specifically who put yourself in danger.” 

Gus was silent for a couple moments, while Matt turned his head away from him, more ashamed than embarrassed. There was an awkward tension in the air, and Gus could nitpick and analye every word that Matt said, but he didn’t really want to, at least for now. He knew Matt had definitely been acting like less of a jerk, based on his interactions with other people that Gus happened to glimpse while he totally wasn’t looking for Mattholomule in the hallways, but to hear him say that he had actually been working on it, thanks to  _ him…  _ that was something else. 

“Well… I’m glad you chased after Grom for whatever reason you could have had anyways,” Gus admitted, folding his hands together so that he didn’t reach out and put one of them on Matt’s shoulder. “And… I’m proud of you for wanting to change? Having it be because of me is a weird feeling, but I’ll process that sometime later.” 

Matt smiled sheepishly, the corners of his mouth turning up in the signature way that Gus always associated with him, even back when most of his grins were just smirks in disguise. This one was genuine though. 

“So… I’ve been trying to get the courage to actually ask you something...” Matt said, looking at Gus nervously, and moving his legs into a criss-cross position. Gus mirrored him without even realizing, his heart beating quickly in anticipation of something he wasn’t sure of. “Do you… do you want to go dance… or something?” 

_ NUDHIUWHWRHOEIROWP WHAT- WHAT.  _

Gus’s head was reeling.

“Wait, don’t- don’t you have a… weren’t you dancing with Celeste earlier?” Gus stammered, motioning vaguely with his hands. How was he supposed to deal with being asked this?! He didn’t know how to dance! Nor did he actually expect Matt to ask  _ him,  _ obviously! “I know you wanted to check on me, or  _ something,  _ but-” 

“I didn’t actually want to dance with Celeste, Gus,” Matt admitted. “She came over to me, and wouldn’t stop asking, so I danced with her until I was able to get away and go over to you. You’re much better company than her, believe me…” 

“Oh,” Gus whispered.  _ So all of that was for nothing… I mean he still might not like me back, but I thought that dancing with Celeste meant that he… wait, he should go ask his actual crush to dance. It’s what he deserves.  _

“Matt, it’s cool that you want to dance with me, but I could help you ask your crush instead,” Gus explained sheepishly, the point that Matt was ever-so-subtly trying to get across flying completely over his head. “Asking someone out at Grom is a pretty big deal-” 

“Gus. Oh my titan,” Matt scooted closer to Gus and put his hands on both of his shoulders, gripping them firmly. “My crush is literally in front of my face  _ right now.  _ I slapped Grom for him, and I’ll do it again, and I also managed to become president of a club he started, which made us start as rivals, but we now have a friendship of sorts. You understand now?” After a few moments of stunned silence from Gus, Matt lifted his hand from Gus’s shoulders and folded them in his lap. “You don’t have to like me back or anything, I thought… you should know. And you don’t have to dance with me either. Obviously.” 

“I- well-” Gus sputtered, at a loss for words. Heck, he liked Matt too. Which had been pretty obvious since he started being less of a jerk, but Gus had just pushed it down. And he hadn’t exactly  _ processed  _ much before today, so… he just let his actions say better than words and stood up. A look of instant fear came to Matt’s face, worrying that Gus was just… going to walk away without saying anything and leave him there for the rest of the night, but instead Gus just held out his hand. 

“Well… may I have this dance?” 

  
  
  


Returning home from Grom night, Gus was both excited and giddy, and absolutely exhausted. Him and Matt  _ had  _ actually danced, and it had been awkward, but… fun. And it didn’t last long, due to both of them being nervous about other people watching them, so they had just settled for sitting down and talking instead. When Principal Bump announced the end of Grom Night, Matt hugged him (hugged!!) and he’d see him at school tomorrow, before waving and walking out to one of the exits. Gus caught up with Luz and Willow a bit after as he was walking home, and if any of them had noticed anything, they didn’t say a word. (He still got a few quirked eyebrows from Luz though.)

As for Amity, he didn’t really see her. She seemed to have disappeared sometime durig the festivities, probably going home early with her brother and sister. He wasn’t too worried though. 

When he walked in the door, his dad was waiting for him at the kitchen table with a warm smile. 

“How was Grom?”

“Chaotic,” Gus answered, sitting down at the seat across from him. “Y’know how Amity was supposed to be Grom Queen? Well… I ended up helping her. Luz and Willow too. I think they’re dating or something now?...” 

“Well that’s interesting… never heard of a student not defeating Grom on her own before, but I’m glad you all were there to help her….Wait, Luz and Willow?...” Perry trailed off, confused, and Gus chuckled, ready to explain everything.

…….

“And then he asked me to dance!” 

“That’s the one thing from all of this that I actually saw coming,” Perry admitted, with a teasing tone in his voice.

“You WHAT-” 

  
  


END. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally finished it!! Thank you to Dumbassv2 for encouraging me to write this, and for your support, and YOUR AWESOME HECKING DRAWINGS. You're amazing.
> 
> I hope everyone enjoyed reading this, and have a good day/night!


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Art by @Dumbassv2 !!! They're super cool, and thier writing is AMAZING, go check out thier account!! I can't believe they did all of this art just for this one fic shwurehofoior they're incredible.. thank you Dumbassv2!!!! I can't express how much this means to me.

Go check them out!!! Thier tumblr is @dumbassv32 !!

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! Will hopefully update this soon! In the meantime, I hope you enjoyed! 
> 
> (I was originally going to put this with my Gus one-shots, but I decided it was better off as a separate work.)


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